Siobhan Baillie

Siobhan Kathleen Baillie[3] (born 28 August 1981)[4] is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stroud since the 2019 general election. Prior to her parliamentary career, she was a family law solicitor, a councillor, and worked for a charity.

Siobhan Baillie
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Member of Parliament
for Stroud
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byDavid Drew
Majority3,840 (5.8%)
Personal details
Born (1981-08-28) 28 August 1981[1]
Crawley, West Sussex, England[2]
Political partyConservative
Children1
Websitewww.siobhanbaillie.org.uk

Early life

Baillie was born in Crawley, West Sussex, on 28 August 1981,[2] and she moved with her family at the age of eight to Filey, North Yorkshire.[5][6] She has a younger brother and sister.[7] Her parents separated during her childhood.[8] Baillie moved out of the family home at the age of 15[9] and left school two years later to work as a legal secretary in Reading, Berkshire.[10][11] She attended a law school at weekends,[5] and qualified as a family law solicitor in 2010.[12][13] Baillie also worked as the head of policy and communications for the charity, OnePlusOne.[14]

Political career

Baillie was a councillor in the London Borough of Camden from 2014[15] to 2018,[16] representing the ward of Frognal and Fitzjohns. As an opposition member she served on the Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee and during the 2016–2017 civic year she chaired a review of mental health service provision for young people.[17][18]

She stood for the Bermondsey and Old Southwark seat at the 2017 general election. She was third behind the Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates with 13% of the vote.[19] She had previously unsuccessfully sought selection for the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency for the same election, and for the Barnet and Camden London Assembly seat at the 2016 election.[20][21]

Baillie was selected as the Conservative candidate for Stroud on 31 July 2018.[22] She supported the UK remaining within the EU in the 2016 UK EU membership referendum, but during her 2019 election campaign indicated that she now supported Brexit, to honour the result of the referendum.[23][24] At the 2019 general election, she was elected as an MP with a majority of 3,840 (5.8%). The seat had been represented by Labour and Co-operative MP David Drew since the 2017 election.[25][26] Baillie was the first woman to represent the constituency.[27] She was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Justice in February 2020.[28] She has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee since March 2020.[29]

In July 2021, Baillie commented that she opposed the removal of the Blackboy Clock in Stroud as she felt that it was important to leave all statues to "reflect our country's journey in the 20th and 21st centuries toward equality" but did support adding "factual information" to the statue to provide education.[30] The clock was created in 1774 and is possibly one of only 20 examples of a jacquemart in the UK. However a report commissioned by the Stroud District Council stated that "Whatever the inspiration or its origins, it has to be remembered that, without a doubt, the boy's image came directly or indirectly through the influence of slavery and colonialism".[31]

Personal life

Baillie is married.[27] The couple have a daughter.[32]

References
  1. "Baillie, Siobhan". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  2. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  3. "Members Sworn". parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  4. Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  5. Hinsliff, Gaby (21 November 2019). "'I'm not going to be bullied into silence.' The women defying abuse to stand as MPs". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  6. The Real Me: Conservative MP Siobhan Baillie speaks to Gloria De Piero about her path into politics. GB News. 2 December 2021. Event occurs at 00:45.
  7. The Real Me: Conservative MP Siobhan Baillie speaks to Gloria De Piero about her path into politics. GB News. 2 December 2021. Event occurs at 00:39.
  8. The Real Me: Conservative MP Siobhan Baillie speaks to Gloria De Piero about her path into politics. GB News. 2 December 2021. Event occurs at 01:53.
  9. The Real Me: Conservative MP Siobhan Baillie speaks to Gloria De Piero about her path into politics. GB News. 2 December 2021. Event occurs at 05:35.
  10. The Real Me: Conservative MP Siobhan Baillie speaks to Gloria De Piero about her path into politics. GB News. 2 December 2021. Event occurs at 08:10.
  11. Strimpel, Zoe (22 December 2019). "The new wave of Tory MPs proves elitism is dead". The Daily Telegraph.(subscription required)
  12. "Siobhan Kathleen Baillie". The Law Society. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  13. "What the new parliament means for health and social care" (PDF). NHS Confederation. p. 15. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  14. Weakley, Kirsty (13 December 2019). "Former charities adviser elected as a Tory MP as party wins a big majority". Civil Society. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  15. "Frognal and Fitzjohns". Camden Council. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  16. Osley, Richard (15 February 2018). "Conservative candidate quits council elections over Brexit". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  17. "Review of mental health service provision in the London Borough of Camden for young people aged 11–19" (PDF). Camden Council. 23 March 2017. p. 1. Retrieved 18 January 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. Scott, James (29 March 2017). "Camden Council pledges to put mental health at forefront of agenda for young people living in borough". Ham & High. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  19. "Bermondsey and Old Southwark". parliament.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  20. Osley, Richard (25 April 2017). "Tory candidate search in Hampstead and Kilburn: The final three". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  21. Osley, Richard (8 September 2015). "The search for a Tory to follow Brian Coleman: Siobhan Baillie and Tom Smith bow out". Richard Osley. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  22. Watson, Sarah Phaedre (31 July 2018). "Conservatives select their candidate to become Stroud MP". Stroud News & Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  23. "Camden Tory insists she hasn't been 'parachuted in' to Bermondsey & Old Southwark". Southwark News. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  24. Boobyer, Leigh (5 December 2019). "Siobhan Baillie: The Conservative challenger hoping to turn Stroud blue". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  25. "Election results 2019: Conservatives gain Stroud from Labour". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  26. "Stroud". BBC News. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  27. Lal, Tamash (13 December 2019). "Meet your new Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie". Stroud News & Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  28. "Parliamentary Private Secretaries – April 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  29. "Work and Pensions Committee membership agreed". parliament.uk. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  30. "Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie on Blackboy Clock: 'Removing statue will not end racism'". Stroud News & Journal. 30 July 2021.
  31. "Calls to remove 'racist' Blackboy clock in Stroud". BBC News. 30 July 2021.
  32. "Conservative MP Siobhan Baillie gives birth to daughter". Express & Star. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
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